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Shabbat starts on Friday at 7:44pm and ends on Saturday at 8:47pm. The weekly Torah portion is Lech-Lecha.
Mincha continues at 1.45pm at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed. Join the WhatsApp group where we take a count to confirm each day.
Weekly sushi & shiur continues Wed at 1.20pm (mincha 1.45pm) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: strata titles. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.
Thought of the Week with thanks to Asher Seifman.
In this week’s Torah portion, we are told of Avram’s travels to and within the land of Canaan, acting on the instruction of G-d. Initially, Avram travelled to Shechem, where G-d appeared to him and promised the land to Avram’s descendants. Avram then relocated, pitching his tent and establishing an altar in a place with Beth-el on the west and Ai on the east. He then travelled (‘haloch v’nasoa‘) southward.
According to the commentator Seforno z’l, Avram’s decision to base himself between Beth-el on the west and Ai on the east was quite deliberate; he wanted to be equidistant between these two large settlements, so as to maximise his radius of influence in enlightening others about G-d. The Seforno similarly interprets his subsequent travels as deliberately remaining within reach of these centres. His travels ‘haloch v’nasoa‘ were temporary in nature, like those of a shepherd, and he deliberately travelled southward (rather than eastward or westward) so as to retain his equidistance from both Beth-el and Ai.
Rabbi Copperman z’l in his super-commentary on the Seforno notes that Avram chose to reside near these large settlements to maximise his influence, but chose not to reside in the settlements themselves.
He may have done this to avoid being exposed to their negative spiritual influence but Rav Copperman proposes that he may have also done so as a more effective means of influence (rather than being confrontational, he made himself available to those who wished to seek out the truth). Rav Copperman suggests that Avram’s choice of location (and his decision to only establish one altar between the two settlements rather than one in each) may have stemmed from a very profound didactic principle: a person is far more likely to benefit from positive influence if he initiates and seeks it out than if it is presented to him.
In a time when it is critical for us to remember G-d’s promise to us of the land of Israel, it is similarly important to recall the responsibility we carry as Jews to epitomise moral conduct and act as a point of reference for spiritual enlightenment in this world.
We can learn from Avram that an effective and appropriate way of achieving this is to do so in proximity and within sight of the spheres we seek to influence but not within them. May we be successful in such efforts and lift the veil of moral ambiguity cast over the eyes of the nations, so as to hasten the return of the hostages, peace in Israel and the coming of Moshiach.